Piled surface in pattern form



Sept. 26, 1939.

A. F. MESTON ET AL FILED SURFACE IN PATTERN Fonu Original Filed Feb. 6, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet l Sept. 26, 1939. A. F.MESTON ET AL FILED SURFACE IN PATTERN FORM ori inal Filed Feb. e, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet" 2 Patented Sept. 26, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFlCE Wintermute, Plainfield, N.

J assignors, by

mesne assignments, to Bohr-Manning Corporation, a corporation of Massachusetts Original application February 6, 1935, Serial No. 7 5,288. Divided and this application March 20,

1937, Serial No. 132,170

5 Claims.

This invention relates to coating and/or decorating surfaces with simulated piles in pattern form. It has to do in particular with apparatus and methods for making and controlling a nonuniform electric field used in the deposition of elongated particles on adhesive covered surfaces for the purpose of effecting a topical arrangement of the particles on the surfaces, for example, in pleasing patterns.

Fibers, such as rayon flocks, can be deposited in oriented position upon an adhesive'covered surface if the surface is positioned in an electric field and fibers are introduced into the electric field in unrestrained manner. "Ih'conditions required for satisfactory deposition of fibers in the piling of surfaces are described in copending applications Serial No. 692,201, A. F. Meston, filed October 4, 1933; and Serial No. 699,456, H. A. Wintermute, filed November 23, 1933.

The piles made with the apparatus and methods used and described in the applications just mentioned are quite uniform in composition and appearance. Most of the fibers stand erect, perpendicular to the surface, making piles of monotonous evenness from a decorative standpoint. It has now been found that by suitable control of the electric field by means of which the fibers are deposited, and particularly by the use of a deliberately warped or discontinuous electric field, pleasing variations and definite patterns can be obtained in the pile.

Apparatus useful in carrying out the invention and several embodiments of the invention, including novel methods and products, are hereinafter described with particular reference to the appended drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a diagrammatic view, in side elevation, of apparatus for depositing fibers in pattern formation by utilizing a moving field stencil;

Figs. 2 and 3 show typical forms of field stencils used with the invention; and

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view in side elevation of apparatus for the production of material having a piled surface in pattern form, including the features of the present invention together with features more particularly described and claimed in our application Serial No. 5,288, filed February 6, 1935, of which the present application is a division.

In the apparatus of Fig. 1 a field controlling member is supported in an electric field established between a high potential electrode and a ground electrode. The field control or field stencil member is positioned in front of the surface being piled and is preferably at the same or nearly the same potential as the electrode just back of the sheet with the surface being piled. In the figure electrode 6!] is preferably fiat and is at ground potential. Electrode 64 is of reticulated construction or the like and is maintained at high potential. Sheet 6|, the under side 62 of which is to be piled, is moved through the electric field between electrodes 68 and 64, preferably just under and touching electrode 68, as shown. A member 63, advantageously formed as a belt with stencil-like perforations such as the diamond design shown in Fig. 2 or the slots shown in Fig. 3, is moved parallel with and at the same speed as sheet 6!. It is held a short distance, for example, one-fourth inch, in front of adhesive covered surface fill. The fibers to be deposited are brought into the apparatus on a moving porous belt 66. When the fibers are carrled by belt 66 over the top of wind box 61, compressed air issuing from nozzles 68 and passing through regulating means 69 blows through the interstices of belt I56 and blows the fibers up through electrode 64 and into the electric field for deposition on surface 62. Very. definite patterns are made with the apparatus shown in Fig. 1

and they can be made very colorful if the sheet tobe piled is passed through several partially shielded fields, each one depositing fibers of a different color.

Belt 63 can be made of wire or other attenuated members woven into a pattern and it will influence the deposition of the fibers comprising the pile by altering the electric field. Or belt 63 can be made up as a stencil and cause a pattern to be made by definitely covering portions of surface 62 and permitting flocks to be deposited only behind openings in the stencil. Besides the diamond pattern shown in Fig. 2, decorative designs, such as fiowers, and commercial outlines comprising names, can be formed. Such stencillike members effect the pattern not only mechanically but also effect it by locally altering the characteristics and intensity of the electric field and therefore they may be designated as field stencils.

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view in side elevation of apparatus which may be used in successively applying the several. embodiments of the invention which have been described in this application and our application Serial No. 5,288, filed February 6, 1935. A sheet 86 of the material to be piled, for example, a light weight, flexible but closely woven textile, is unwound from supply roll 85, passed overan adhesive applying roll 81, over positioning and tensioning rolls 90, 9|

and S2, and through means, not shown, for finishing and storing the piled product. Roll 81 is shown with raised portions 88 to apply the adhesive from vessel 89 to the surface of sheet 86 in restricted areas only. Where the surface of the sheet is to be completely piled, a smooth roll to spread adhesive over the entire surface of the sheet is used.

As the adhesive coated sheet goes over roll 90, it may be sprayed with fibers from one or more spray electrodes IOI in accordance with the practice described in applicationSerial No. 5,288. The fibers for sprays IOI are supplied through conduit I02 and this can be made to move away from the entrance of sprays IN by reciprocating means, for instance, crank I04 acting, preferably with a quick return movement, through connecting rod I03 will make conduit I02 articulate at joint I05 at the chosen intervals when deposition of particles is to be interrupted. During the period of interruption the fibers blow out the end of conduit I02 and fall to the bottom of easing I06 to be lifted again by blower I01. If electrode IOI is maintained at high potential connecting tube I00 is made of insulating material.

Sheet 86 next passes through an electric field established between screen electrode H0 and control electrode III. The latter electrode can be in the form of any of the control electrodes shown in application Serial No. 5,288, but is made into or is attached to an endless band. If electrode III is to cause the fibers to deposit in a closed pattern or one with transverse marks, it must move at the same speed and in the same direction as sheet 86 while sheet 86 is moving through the electric field above electrode IIO. This is accomplished by turning pulley II2, over which electrode I I I passes, by a positive drive I I3 such as a chain from a source of power I I4 which also turns pulley 90 over which sheet 86 passes,

'in positive manner. Positive synchronous movement of belt and electrode can also be obtained by having spurs project from the edge of electrode III and engage perforations along the edges of sheet 86 in the manner known to the moving picture art. A grounded shoe II5 contacts electrode III and maintains it at ground potential.

Underneath sheet 86 a belt II6 may be positioned by utilizing supporting pulley Ill and supporting and propelling pulley II8. Belt II6 may be perforated as a stencil and function as a field stencil in the manner of member 63 in Fig. l. The stenciling belt must move at the same speed as sheet 86 and such movement is obtained through drive II9. Other field altering means, such as screens, can be used in place of stencilling means I I6, and such means travelling at the speed of sheet 86 will give the pile on sheet 86 a woven appearance. Although pattern control electrode III and stencilling or other field altering means I I6 can be used at the same time, ordinarily this is not done. A fiat stationary electrode may be used in place of special electrode III when a field stencil is being used in front of sheet 86. Fibers are supplied to the field between electrodes H0 and III by supply means I in which air jets are utilized to project the fibers up through electrode IIO,

Electrodes I24 and I25 in Fig. 4 are energized and used to deposit fibers if portions of the surface of sheet 86 remain unpiled after the sheet passes through the processing steps described in the above. No special effect is sought in this last step. Both electrodes have, in general, fiat surfaces and the uniform field that results from impressing a high voltage across electrodes I24 and I25 tends to deposit an erect uniform pile. The deposition of fibers in this step is usually for the purpose of completing the pile started with spray electrodes IIII and/or the pile deposited through field stencil H6 and this filling is often made with fibers of a different color from that used in the preceding steps.

Apparatus for satisfactorily supplying fibers to the field between electrodes I24 and I25 is shown diagrammatically under electrode I24. It comprises an endless foraminous conveying belt I26 upon which fibers are spread by a distributor I30, preferably agitated, and a blowing means I21 that distributes air under pressure under belt I26 and causes it to pass up through the belt and raise the fibers therefrom and blow them through screen electrode I24. Undeposited fibers are collected in hopper I28 and conveyed by an air stream set in motion by fan I25 to filter bag collector I3I and thence to distributor I30.

Fig. 4 illustrates apparatus with a wide range of usefulness in the forming of simulated piles on adhesive covered surfaces. It is illustrative of the wide variation in methods and means for obtaining useful patterns in the electrical deposition of pile forming materials by the local alteration of the characteristics of the electrical field effecting the deposition, so as to produce a definite topical non-uniformity therein. It is obviously subject to a very large degree of variation and may be provided with electrode rapping or agitating means and other devices and modifications.

This application is a division of our application Serial No. 5,288, filed February 6, 1935, now Patent 2,152,077.

We claim: v

1. Apparatus for electrically depositing attenuated fibers upon an adhesive coated surface to form a pile thereon in pattern form, comprising complementary electrodes, means for maintaining a high potential difference between said electrodes to establish an electric field therebetween whereby attenuated fibers introduced into said field are caused to be projected towards one of said electrodes, means positioned between the electrodes for causing local concentrations of the electric field between said electrodes, means for positioning an adhesive-surfaced base material in the non-uniform portion of said field, and means for supplying attenuated fibers to said field between said field concentrating means and the other electrode.

2. Apparatus for electrically depositing, attenuated fibers upon an adhesive coated surface to form a pile thereon in pattern form, comprising complementary electrodes, means for maintaining a high potential difference between said electrodes to establish an electric field therebetween whereby attenuated fibers introduced into said field are caused to be projected towards one of said electrodes, a member positioned in the'field between said electrodes having perforations extending therethrough in the direction of the lines of force of said field, means for passing an adhesive-surfaced base material through the electric field between said member and said electrode, and means for supplying attenuated fibers to said field between said member and the other electrode.

3. Apparatus for electrically depositing attenuated fibers upon an adhesive coated surface to form a pile thereon in pattern form, comprising complementary electrodes, means for maintaining a'high potential difference between said electrodes to establish an electric field therebetween whereby attenuated fibers introduced into said field are caused to be projected towards one of said electrodes, a member positioned in the field between said electrodes having perforations extending therethrough in the direction of the lines of force of said field, means for passing an adhesive-surfaced base material through the electric field between said member and said electrode, means for moving said member substantially synchronously with said base material, and means for supplying attenuated fibers to said field between said member and the other electrode.

4. Apparatus for electrically depositing fibers upon an adhesive coated surface to form a pile thereon in pattern form, comprising opposed complementary electrodes, means for impressing a high potential difference between said electrodes to establish an electric field therebetween whereby attenuated fibers introduced into said field are caused to be projected towards one of said electrodes, means for positioning an adhesivesurfaced base material in the electric field adjacent the electrode toward which the fibers are projected by the field, a member positioned in the field between said base material and the other of said electrodes having perforations extending therethrough in the direction of the lines of force of said field, and means for supplying attenuated fibers to said field between said member and said other electrode.

5. Apparatus for electrically depositing fibers upon an adhesive coated surface to form a pile thereon in pattern form, comprising opposed complementary electrodes at least one of which presents an extended substantially plane surface to the opposing electrode, means for impressing a. high potential difference between said electrodes to establish an electric field therebetween whereby attenuated fibers introduced into said field are caused to be projected towards an extended surface electrode, means for positioning an adhesive-surfaced base material in the electric field adjacent the electrode toward which the fibers are projected by the field, a member ex-' tending through said field in substantially parallel relation to said extended surface electrode between said base material and the other of said electrodes having perforations extending therethrough in the direction of the lines of force of said field, and means for supplying attenuated fibers to said field between said member and said other electrode.

ARCHIBAID F. MES'ION.

HARRY A. WIN'I'ERMU'I'E. m 

